CNN
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Take a look at the life of former Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal.
birthday: 1956
Birthplace: West Bank Sirwad
Birth name: Khaled Meshal
father: Imam, name not published
mother: name not published
marriage: Name not published (1981 to present)
Children: Seven
education: Kuwait University, Bachelor of Science in Physics, 1978
religion: sunni muslim
1967- After the Six Day War, Meshal’s family moved from the West Bank to Jordan and Kuwait.
1971- Meshal joins the Muslim Brotherhood.
1978-1984- I am working as a physics teacher in Kuwait.
1980- Established the Islamic League for Palestinian Students.
From December 1987 Palestinian cleric Sheikh Ahmed Yassin founded Hamas, a spin-off of the Muslim Brotherhood. Meshal joins them and becomes the leader of the Hamas branch in Kuwait.
From August 2, 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has reportedly decided to invade the small oil-rich country to pay off debts incurred during the eight-year war with Iraq and Iran. Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat supports Hussein.
1991- US and coalition forces defeat Iraq and liberate Kuwait. Kuwait then deported her 300,000 Palestinians, including Meshal.
1991 – Meshal settles in Jordan and heads the Hamas branch. He is responsible for international fundraising.
1996- Became Hamas Political Director.
September 1997- Israeli Mossad agent disguised as Canadian tourist sprays Meschar’s ear with fentanyl Assassination attempt in Amman, Jordan. A Mossad agent is captured. Jordan’s King Hussein has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if Meshar is not given the antidote, the agent will be brought to justice. Netanyahu reluctantly agrees and Meshal recovers. As part of the deal, Israel will release many Palestinian and Jordanian prisoners, including Yashin.
From September 22, 1999 Meshal, along with two other Hamas leaders, was accused of illegal political activity and briefly imprisoned in Jordan. After his release, Jordan’s King Abdullah II closed Hamas’ offices in Amman and expelled Meshar from the county. Meshal moves to Qatar.
2001- Moved to Damascus, Syria.
From March 22, 2004 Hamas leader Yassin was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
From March 23, 2004 Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi has been named as Yassin’s successor.
From April 17, 2004 Rantisi was killed by an Israeli airstrike on his car. Meshal rises to the top of Hamas’ leadership alongside Ismail Haniyah.
From January 26, 2006 Hamas won a landslide victory in its first participation in the Palestinian parliamentary elections. Hamas won his 76 seats and Fatah his 43 seats in the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council, giving Hamas a majority.
June 14th, 2007- After a week of fighting between Hamas and Fatah, Hamas seized control of Gaza.
From April 18, 2008 Former US President Jimmy Carter meets with Meshal in Damascus, Syria.
From December 27, 2008 Israel launches Operation Cast Lead, an airstrike against Hamas targets in Gaza, in retaliation for continued rocket attacks on southern Israel. Ground attacks will begin on January 3, 2009.
From January 18, 2009 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declared a unilateral ceasefire in the fighting in Gaza. Over 1,200 Palestinians and his 13 Israelis were killed during the conflict.
From February 1, 2009 Meshal will meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He praises Iran for Operation Cast Lead.
From May 4, 2011 Meshal and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a reconciliation agreement to unite rivals Hamas and Fatah.
From December 2011 Hamas sided with the opposition in the Syrian civil war against President Bashar al-Assad. Meshal abandons Hamas office in Damascus.
From January 29, 2012 Meshal will make his first official visit to Jordan since being deported in 1999. He and Qatar’s Crown Prince Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani meet with King Abdullah II.
From February 2012 Meshal moves to Doha, Qatar.
From December 7, 2012 Meshar visits Gaza. With the exception of a brief visit to the West Bank in 1975, it will be his first visit to Palestinian territory since leaving the West Bank in 1967. He never appears before a crowd, stands in front of a replica M75 rocket and justifies the Israeli occupation,” he said. Israel has no right to be in Jerusalem. ”
From April 2, 2013 Meshal was re-elected head of Hamas’ political bureau.
May 6, 2017 – Meshar’s successor, Haniyah, is elected by Hamas’ Shura Council.
April 12, 2021 – According to a spokesperson for the Islamist Hamas movement in Palestine, Meshal was elected head of the group’s diaspora office.
